Bob Mosher, USTFCCCA Special Inductee

Last updated: April 3, 2009

Bob Mosher has been called Florida’s “godfather” of track and field. In 33 years of teaching and coaching at Winter Park High School, Mosher left a legacy both in the results of his athletes and in his passion and professionalism as a coach.

At Winter Park, Mosher served as athletic director for 18 years and football coach for 16 years, plus coaching stints in basketball, swimming, and baseball. But Mosher is best known for his accomplishments as a track & field coach.

At Winter Park, Mosher was named Florida track Coach of the Year 11 times; he was the only coach to win state titles in cross country, track & field, and team decathlon. However, his achievements were not limited to titles and accolades. Mosher was a pioneer in the desegregation of track & field in Florida, bringing his team to the state’s first desegregated competition in the early 1960s and regularly competing against teams of all races.

Mosher was the first high school coach to serve as a coach on a U.S. team competing internationally, as assistant coach for the 1977 U.S. junior team competing against the Soviet Union. He was also the only person to be named both national Coach of the Year (boys track, 1982) and national Athletic Director of the Year (1985) by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association.

For his many accomplishments, Mosher is recognized in five Halls of Fame – the Florida Athletic Coaches, the Metro Conference, the Central Florida, the National Coaches, and the Winter Park Halls of Fame. He also helped initiate the national McDonalds All American awards program, and in 1989, he received the prestigious Dwight Keith Award for contributions and dedication to the advancement of interscholastic athletics and the coaching profession. The Winter Park High School track is named in his honor.